Dual savings bank



June 25, 1963 w w. RA DALL ETAL 3,095,139

DUAL-SAVINGS BANK Filed Feb. 5, 1962 INVENTORS W/L BUR W. RANDALL JULIA RUBENSTEIN ORNEYS United States Patent 3,095,139 DUAL SAVINGS BANK Wilbur W. Randall, 15 Staples Place, West Hartford, Conn, and Julia Rubenstein, 33 Washington Square W., New York, N.Y.

Filed Feb. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 170,870 6 Claims. (Cl. 232-) This invention relates to savings banks of the coin receiving type and more particularly to such banks having at least a pair of coin receiving compartments, one alotted to each of several individuals, one or more of whom may reward another or others for saving by matching deposits coin for coin, all of which become the property of the rewarded party.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved dual or multiple savings bank.

More particularly it is an object of the present invention to provide in a savings bank a coin compartment for each saver together with mechanism requiring the rewarder to deposit a coin to match that of another individual who is thus given an extra incentive for saving.

An important object of the invention resides in the arrangement of the savings compartments so that at least one of them retains a deposited coin segregated, as an indication to his companion saver that it is the latters turn to deposit.

Other and further features and objects of the invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the attached specification and appended drawing wherein are disclosed several exemplary embodiments of the invention, with the understanding that such changes and modifications may be made therein as fall within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In said drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a dual saving bank constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan View thereof;

FIGURE 3 is front elevation thereof partly in central transverse section on line 33 of FIGURE 2, showing the coin holding mechanism;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 showing a second embodiment; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view of this second embodiment, similar to FIGURE 3, illustrating the difierent form of coin holding mechanism therefor.

Over the years coin type savings banks have been used by various individuals for many difierent purposes, such as accumulating a specific number or value of coins, to make a particular purchase, for accumulating a nest egg by saving a daily accumulation of coins of some specific denomination, and others almost as varied as the number of individuals using them. Present-day children, however, take a rather dim view of accumulating money and would rather spend it promptly. It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a savings bank of a type which fosters saving, particularly by children, by requiring a parent or other person to match the childs savings by depositing a coin of equal value in the bank before the childs coin is fully released into a compartment. It is found that the savings habit once installed in a child is apt to be maintained throughout most of his lifetime.

The present invention is illustrated, in the interest of simplicity, with only two coin compartments for each bank, one for the saver, and the other for father, guardian or other person interested in the savers welfare, who is willing to contribute coin for coin as the 3,095,139 Patented June 25, 1963 child saves. It will be appreciated, however, that the bank can be constructed with more than two coin compartments, either in pairs of equal size so that for instance, a father may contribute and match the savings of each of two or more children in an obvious manner, or in pairs of different sizes to accommodate coins of various denominations to be matched for one childs savings.

Referring now to FIGURES l, 2 and 3, this embodiment of the invention is seen to comprise a pair of parallel, transparent cylinders 10 and 11 of appropriate diameter to receive a stack of coins of a specific denomination, and graduation marks such as 12 may be placed on the surface of each column to indicate the number of coins therein, or they may be marked in dollars and fractions. In the interest of simplicity, the two cylinders may be molded in one piece with merging walls as appears in FIGURE 3, and the; half-spherical covers, caps or domes 14 and 15 which close the upper ends of the cylinders may likewise be so molded. Any desired manner of mounting the cylinders may be made use of such as the base 16, with chamfered edges 17, to which the cylinders may be removably attached. The vertical back 18 may provide a contrasting color and support a signal to be later described. The cylinders themselves are transparent or have transparent vertical strips for visibility, but preferably the covers 14 and 15 are opaque and in some brilliant color.

Each of the domes or tops 14 and 15 is provided with a slot such as illustrated at 19 and 20, horizontally disposed so that the coin must be inserted essentially parallel to the base 16, and the purpose of this will be appreciated upon consideration of FIGURE 3, where a coin platform 21 is illustrated in tube 10 positioned horizontally and somewhat beneath the slot 19 and so mounted that it is held in the position illustrated to support a coin 22 thereon, as shown. The platform may be a metal plate or merely a ring of wire and is positioned just slightly below the upper edge of the transparent tube so as to hold the coin where it can be viewed.

The coin platform 21 is provided with a radial extension 23 from an edge thereof which is directed slightly upwardly and then horizontally to rest on a fulcrum 24 in the common Wall between the two tubes. This wall has a notch in the upper edge for the purpose and the junction of the two caps at 25 reaches sufficiently close to the extension 23 to hold it loosely in position when the caps have been .sealed in place on the tube. This extension may be formed of wire or a metal plate and is continued by turning it downwardly again at 26 and then curling it into an inclined loop 27 so that the portion 28 thereof adjacent its inturned end 29 engages against the under surface of the cap 15 to hold the coin receiving plate 21 in its horizontal position as shown in FIGURE 3. The metal from which the loop 27 is formed has spring action and the plane of the loop is inclined upwardly and outwardly as seen at 30 whereby when a coin 31 is introduced into the slot 20, it will flex the portion 27 of the loop upwardly, which in turn will tilt the radial extension 23 and cause the platform to be tipped to the dotted position, illustrated in FIG- URE 3, sufficiently far for the coin to slide off and drop into the tube beneath, where such coins are accumulated, each in a horizontal position, and the number indicated by the graduations.

In the manner just described, after the saver has made a deposit of a coin, in tube 10, it remains in view above the platform in the tube as an indication to his parent or other interested person that they must make a contribution so that his coin will drop down and accumulate on the stack. The coin 31 used to release the coin 22 springs beneath the loop 27 and immediately falls into the tube 11,. thus preparing the tube It) to receive another coin as soon as the youthful saver is ready to insert one.

In order that the child may indicate to the parent, perhaps with some glee, that it is the latters turn to deposit a coin, a swingable sign 32 is provided with the proper designations on opposite faces. It is pivoted about a staff 33' mounted inrthe center of the upper edge of the back 18 so that it can be swung from the position shown in FIGURE 1 to that shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 2 or in full lines in FIGURES 4 and thereby designating from whom the next deposit is required.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, the basic construction of the coin receiving tubes, base, back, sign, and the like are identical with those in the first embodiment, but the coin holding devices differ and their construction requires a different placement of the slots in the domes 14' and 15 Here the slots in FIGURES 4 and 5 are vertical and are numbered 19' and 20'. 7

The coin support-ing platforms in this embodiment are two in number and are shown as discs or plates 35 and 36, arranged on a common axis, 90 degrees displaced from each other. The axis is in the form of a shaft 37 which is provided with bearings in the outer walls of the tubes and in the common wall between them. These bearings may merely include notches in the tops of the tube wall so that the shaft is held in position therein when the caps are sealed onto the tubes. It is preferable to provide a small degree of friction on the shaft so that the plates may only be moved intentionally by the effort of forcing a coin into one or the other of the vertical slots. For this purpose the slots are each preferably placed on the great circle passing through the top of its dome, in planes at 90 degrees to the axis of rotation of the plates, but extend farther to one side of the pole than the other, so that as a coin is inserted into the column in which the platform is vertical, i.e., the righthand column in FIGURE 5, as illustrated, this platform is rotated to the horizontal position when the coin drops into place and rests thereon, meanwhile having inclined the platform in tube It) tothe vertical position dropping the .coin thereon onto the column beneath;

Since the coins when resting on either horizontal platform are substantially within the dome above it, these domes are prefenably transparent in this embodiment so that inspection to determine the location of the last inserted coin is facilitated.

If desired, the coin tubes may be made removable by having them rest in sockets in the base and secured therein by appropriate locking means which can require a key for their release.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A savings bank for coins comprising in combination two adjacent, vertically disposed, parallel tubes of tube positioned for engagement by a coin being inserted in the slot in its cap and arranged to tilt the said platform and drop the coin thereon into the tube beneath.

2. The savings bank for coins as defined in claim 1 wherein the means in the adjacent tube is attached to and supports said platform and shaped and positioned to be lifted by the insertion of a coin in its slot whereby said coin passes beneath said means and drops in the adjacent tube at substantially the same time as the coin on the platform is dropped in the first tube.

3. The bank as claimed in claim 2 in which said tubes have a common Wall and said means attached to said platform is fulcrumed on said common wall.

4. The bank as claimed in claim 3 in which the coin slots in said caps are disposed in a horizontal plane above the level of said platform.

5. The savings bank for coins Ias defined in claim 1 in which there is a platform in each tube immediately beneath the cap thereon, means connecting the platforms together with displacement of the planes thereof in respect to a common axis, means pivoting said platforms on said common axis for rotation thereabout, and the coin slots in said caps being positioned to receive coins above the said axis whereby insertion, of a coin in the slot of the tube in which the platform is vertical rotates the platform assembly 90 to spill the coin on the other platform and catch the inserted coin to rest on the first platform now horizontal.

6. A savings bank for coins of a single denomination comprising in combination two adjacent, vertically disposed, parallel cylindrical tubes having a common junction wall and sized to hold said coins in stacks; integrated, domed caps closing the tops of said tubes, means including a platform in one tube and a coin engaged device in the other having a connector bearing on said common wall, a slot in each cap positioned so that a coin may be deposited on said platform and then another inserted in the slot in the other tube to engage said device and tilt the said platform to spill the first coin from the platform.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,703,994 Earl Mar. 5, 1929 2,267,576 Rhodes Dec. 2 3, 1941 2,431,229 Compton Nov. 18, 1947 2,552,931 Brasier May 15, 1951 2,593,985 Compton Apr. 22, 1952 V FOREIGN PATENTS 960,040 Germany Mar. 14, 1957 

1. A SAVINGS BANK FOR COINS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION TWO ADJACENT, VERTICALLY DISPOSED, PARALLEL TUBES OF CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION CLOSED AT THE BOTTOM, CLOSURE CAPS FOR THE TOPS OF THE TUBES, EACH HAVING A COIN RECEIVING SLOT, A PLATFORM IMMEDIATELY BENEATH THE CAP IN ONE TUBE AND NORMALLY HORIZONTAL TO RECEIVE AND HOLD A COIN INSERTED IN THE SLOT ABOVE IT, AND MEANS IN THE ADJACENT TUBE POSITIONED FOR ENGAGEMENT BY A COIN BEING INSERTED IN THE SLOT IN ITS CAP AND ARRANGED TO TILT THE SAID PLATFORM AND DROP THE COIN THEREON INTO THE TUBE BENEATH. 